“Thank you Chris! Thank you Chris! Thank you Chris!” was the chant when Hansen took the stage Thursday. As he bounced up the backstage steps, the man who wants to bring the NBA back to Seattle was greeted by thousands of basketball fans who gathered in Occidental Park for a rally to support his plan to build a new sports arena in Seattle.

“I was almost tearing up,” he said later, “seeing all you guys out here.”

For much of Thursday evening, Pioneer Square became a sea of green and gold. SuperSonics fans gave each other hugs and high-fives, united by a common cause and a common disgust at the Oklahoma City Thunder’s run to the NBA Finals. A beloved NBA team could, quite possibly, return to town relatively soon.

They danced to performances by Common Market, the Presidents of the United States of America and the Blue Scholars. They cheered to speeches by Hansen, broadcaster Kevin Calabro and King County Executive Dow Constantine. They went wild when Payton, Kemp, Schrempf, Watts and Robinson took the microphone.

It was two hours of excitement and elation, a reminder that the Sonics spirit is still alive in Seattle. And it was a chance for Hansen and his supporters to send a message to the Seattle City Council, the King County Council, the NBA and the entire nation that they really, really want their Sonics back.

Below are a bunch of photos and some video from the event.

In the video below, Watts talks to the crowd before Calabro introduces Hansen. Then, Schrempf speaks before Calabro reads a proclamation from Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.